This invention relates to palletizing or depalletizing articles, and, more particularly, relates to unstable article palletizing or depalletizing utilizing article group pick up and transfer.
It is oftentimes necessary to mass transfer, or convey, articles from one location to another, and it has been found that some articles, such as, for example, unstable articles that tend to tip or fall during transfer, or conveyance, often require special care and/or equipment adaptation to maintain the articles in the intended position during transfer, or conveyance.
It is known, for example, that article transfer can include the use of: article pick upxe2x80x94see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,608,746 (Meyer) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,443,357 (Leeds et al.); leading and/or trailing armsxe2x80x94see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,978,275 (Reid et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,709 (VanderMeer et al.), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,522,692 (Simkowski); providing multiple single line rowsxe2x80x94see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,767,027 (Pund et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,834,605 (Jerred), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,457 (VanderMeer et al.); and/or row adjustability see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,767,027 (Pund et al.).
It is also known that unstable articles, such as, for example, plastic bottles, having a neck portion with a protrusion, such as a neck ring thereon, can be conveyed by gripping the bottles between flanges or the like that receive the neck portions of the bottles therebetweenxe2x80x94see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,571 (Born et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,553,698 (Patois et al.).
It is also known that palletizing of articles can include transfer of spacer sheets as a part of palletizing or depalletizing of articlesxe2x80x94see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,809,965 (VanderMeer et al.), and that palletized layers of articles and spacer sheets can be oriented after deposit on a palletxe2x80x94see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,897,877 (VanderMeer et al.).
It is likewise also known that article transfer, including article pick up for palletizing or depalletizing of articles, can include straight line article movement (i.e., vertical-horizontal-vertical movement) during transfer of articles and/or spacer sheetsxe2x80x94see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,858,009 (Bainbridge), U.S. Pat. No. 3,517,831 (Hahn), U.S. Pat. No. 3,682,290 (Von Gal, Jr. et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,978,275 (Reid et al.), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,473 (Moyden et al.).
It is further known that groups of unstable articles, such as cans, have heretofore been picked up and transferred to or from a palletizerxe2x80x94see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,858,009 (Bainbridge) and U.S. Pat. No. 3,682,290 (Von Gal, Jr. et al.), that plural can lids have heretofore been picked up as a group from a tray by a spring biased pick-up unit and transferred to a second locationxe2x80x94see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,473 (Moyden et al.), and that groups of articles, such as bottles, have heretofore been individually picked up and transferred between different locations in loading or unloading of palletsxe2x80x94see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,517,831 (Hahn).
This invention provides an improved device and method for palletizing or depalletizing articles, and particularly unstable articles, such as containers, or bottles, having a neck portion normally with a neck ring thereon.
An article conveyor is utilized for transfer of articles by groups with the article conveyor having a plurality of pick-up units, each of which has an article engaging assembly, preferably with one or more mechanically movable elongated arms, to engage plural articles in different ones of associated rows of articles at a first area to enable pick up and removal of plural rows of articles with plural articles in each row, and preferably pick up and removal of an entire layer of articles, from the first area and transfer of the removed articles to a second area for deposit, or release, thereat, with transfer of articles by the article conveyor including pick up of articles either at a load station for palletizing operations or at a depalletizing station for depalletizing operations and transfer of the removed articles to a palletizing station for palletizing operations or to an unload station for depalletizing operations.
A spacer sheet conveyor is normally also utilized to deposit and remove spacer sheets at the palletizing-depalletizing station, and movable carriages are provided for controlled movement of both the article conveyor and the spacer sheet conveyor with such movement normally being in essentially straight line segments (i.e., vertical-horizontal-vertical movements).
An orienting unit is provided to assure orienting of articles and spacer sheets at the palletizing-depalletizing station, an additional conveyor unit is provided for controlled transfer of articles by groups to and from the load-unload station, and an adjustor unit is provided to vary the spacing between the pick-up units as needed.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide improved article palletizing or depalletizing.
It is another object of this invention to provide improved palletizing or depalletizing of unstable articles, such as containers, or bottles, and particularly unstable articles having a neck portion normally with a protrusion, such as a neck ring, thereon.
It is another object of this invention to provide improved article palletizing or depalletizing utilizing a plurality of pick-up units each having an article engaging assembly to engage plural articles in different ones of associated rows of articles and thereby remove and transfer plural articles by groups in plural rows with plural articles in each row between different locations.
It is another object of this invention to provide improved article palletizing or depalletizing utilizing a plurality of pick-up units each having an article engaging assembly with one or more mechanically movable elongated arms for effecting removal and transfer of articles by groups with plural articles in plural rows between different locations.
It is another object of this invention to provide improved article palletizing or depalletizing utilizing at least one of article transfer by layers, spacer sheet conveying, conveyor movement utilizing one or more movable carriages, orienting of articles and/or spacer sheets, adjustment of article pick-up unit spacing, and/or additional group conveying of articles.
With these and other objects in view, which will become apparent to one skilled in the art as the description proceeds, this invention resides in the novel construction, combination, arrangement of parts, and method substantially as hereinafter described, and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiments of the herein disclosed invention are meant to be included as come within the scope of the claims.